Rooney to captain England . . . and be a dad again

It’s been a memorable week for Wayne Rooney. He played a key role in Manchester United’s victory at Newcastle. He and wife Coleen announced that they were expecting another baby, and Rooney rounded off the week by being named England captain for the World Cup qualifier against San Marino.

England were struggling to find a wearer of the armband for the match. John Terry has retired from international football, Steven Gerrard was suspended for the game and Frank Lampard withdrew with an injury.

The choice came down to Rooney and goalkeer Joe Hart. Hart suggested that Rooney’s "ten million caps" made him the obvious choice and the FA concurred. Rooney had previously captained England once, against Brazil in Doha in 2009.

"It's a great honour, it's something I'm really proud of," Rooney said. "It's a big challenge for myself, I'm really looking forward to it and excited, and hopefully we can cap the day off with a good victory."

"I enjoy working with Wayne, we had a good Euros," the England manager Roy Hodgson told reporters. "He will certainly captain the team in the first one." That leaves the possibility that Lampard may return for the next match, against Poland.

Coleen Rooney relayed the news of her pregnancy on Twitter. "Me, Wayne and Kai are thrilled that we are expecting a new addition to our family around May time," she tweeted. The couple’s son Kai was born in 2009, and Wayne described the birth as the "proudest moment of my life".